Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $749 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Juan and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $749 per month in San Juan vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $749
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,101 per month in San Juan vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $1,101
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,452 per month in San Juan vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

San Juan $1,452
Medellin $3,190

San Juan is about 54% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Juan sits 45% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ₱255

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-48.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.88 ₱1,063

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-63.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱177

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-70.32%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ₱174

$3.11 COP 9,866

-11.25%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱41.30

$1.83 COP 5,800

-63.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.48

$1.38 COP 4,360

-77.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$3.05 COP 9,672

-64.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.5

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-71.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱107

$1.45 COP 4,600

16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱70.5

$2.36 COP 7,496

-52.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱52.7

$1.68 COP 5,328

-50.00%

Eggs

$1.82 ₱114

$2.86 COP 9,077

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.24 ₱330

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-48.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-63.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 ₱454

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-48.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-43.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.9

$1.50 COP 4,742

-9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.17 COP 6,891

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.8

$2.31 COP 7,310

-54.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ₱107

$1.93 COP 6,113

-12.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱109

$1.64 COP 5,196

6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱42.17

$1.13 COP 3,571

-40.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.3

$1.25 COP 3,954

-22.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ₱171

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-32.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 ₱490

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-41.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$1.70 COP 5,384

-45.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₱116

$2.37 COP 7,525

-22.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.26

$1.21 COP 3,827

-78.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.14 ₱764

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-84.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.71

$1.32 COP 4,179

-40.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.52

$2.14 COP 6,774

-89.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱123

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-76.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱77.8

$1.30 COP 4,114

-4.62%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-25.06%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-46.46%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$141 ₱8,877

$172 COP 545.6K

-18.07%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.25 ₱897

$13.37 COP 42.4K

6.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.38 ₱1,535

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-15.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 ₱1,893

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-33.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.41 ₱278

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-74.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-19.27%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$74.3 ₱4,677

$770 COP 2.4M

-90.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,556 ₱160.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-71.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.32 ₱1,846

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-66.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.71 ₱1,241

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-65.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ₱4,539

$137 COP 432.9K

-47.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.8 ₱3,573

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-42.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ₱19.1K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-71.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$616 COP 2.0M

-71.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 ₱32.4K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-72.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-70.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₱168.8K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-33.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ₱70.2K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-33.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$243 ₱15.3K

$652 COP 2.1M

-62.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.94

-38.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$180 24%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 19.2% $35

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$175 23.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 68.8% $120

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$173 23.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 255% $442

Eating Out

San Juan

$86 11.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 95.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$80 10.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 113% $90

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$40 5.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 43.8% $18

Getting Around

San Juan

$15 2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 517% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in San Juan versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 168% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in San Juan versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $295 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Juan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

13:32 1:32 PM

13 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,347

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Juan Medellin 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Juan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,124 per month in San Juan and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in San Juan and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $749 in San Juan and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 115%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Medellin at $1,614. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.